Manufacture of food for cattle and other animals.



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OFFICE;

JOHN JOSEPH EASTICK, OF LONDON,

AND JOHN JOSEPH ARTHUR on WHALLEY, OF

' LEE, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO THE MOLASSINE COMPANY LIMITED, OF EASTGREEN WICH, ENGLAND.

MANUFACTURE OF --FOOD FOR C ATTLE AND OTHER ANIMALS.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, J OHN JOSEPH EASTICK and JOHN JosnPH ARTHUR onWHALLEY, subjects of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, andresidents, respectively, of No. 2 St. Dunstans Hill, in the city ofLondon, England, and Park House, Brandram Road, Lee, in the county ofKent, England, have invented new.and useful Improvements in theManufacture of Food for Cattle and other Animals, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of food forcattle and other animals, from sphagnum or peat moss or to food in whichSphagnum forms an ingredient and it should be particularly noted thatSphagnum or peat moss which is the upper and consequently more recentlyformed material is much more suitable for use in this connection thanwhat is usually understood by the term peat namely the peat of mucholder formation.

It has already been proposed to treat ordinary peat and added water withsteam under pressure for severalhours in a closed.

vessel. It was stated that the humic acid of the peat, assisted by thepressure and water, converted thefiber partly into sugar and partly intovegetable gum but a very large proportion of thematerial obtained wasinsoluble fiber and the proportion of moisture as it came from theclosed vessel was relatively large. The product obtained ineluding thefiber was used as fodder while still wet or was dried or was separatedfrom the fiber by pressure and made into an extract before being used.It has also been proposed to obtain sugar or to produce saccharinesubstances from cellulose or certain cellulose-containing bodies or fromvegetable substances by treating the material contained in a closedvessel with an acid or acids in solution, such as sulfuric acid orhydrochloric acid or sulfurous acid 'or a mixture of two of these acidsand then subjecting the material (with or without stirring) to steamunder pressure, or hot water, or heat or mechanical pressure, for sometime, and it has moreover been proposed to convert cellulose (such assawdust) into sugar without the use of pressure by causing Specificationof Letters Patent.

Application filed February 26, 1914. Serial No. 821,259.

Patented JulyZO, 1915.

. with or without the additionof a small percentage of a; hydrolyzing'agent, such as sulfurous cold in solution, but according to this in aclosed vessel, after the reaction of'the invention, Sphagnum or peatmoss suitably.

containing no morethan about 30% of neturalmoisture, is, put into aninclosed vessel such as an autoclave or digester which is preferablyheated by steam and subjected for a short period or periods to theaction of sulfur dioxid gas and steam under pressure.

A suitable method of carrying the invention into effect consists inputting say 100 parts by weight of'sphagnum containing for example about30% of moistureinto a acketed autoclave or digester and then introducingsay, 3% parts by weight or sulfur dioxid. When this amount of gas hasbeen introduced, the supply of gas is then cut off about 100 lbs.pressure is maintained, for,

say, half an hour, but'in some circumstances,

dependent upon the quality. of the sphagnum or peat moss and the amountof moisture therein, the time required may be sen- 'sibly shorter orlonger and it will be understoodthat the digester is'also heated bypassing steam into its jacket. The supply of steam is then stopped,steam is allowed to blow off and the product is turned out of thedigester, when it will be found to contain much less molsture than isthe case in carrying out the ject of the applicants previous patent inGreat Britain, No. 29648, dated December '24, 1912, before referred to.

Sphagnum moss or peat moss diifers from ordinary peat in that it islighter, more process forming the subporous, contains less carbon, ismuch richer as indicated by the usual hydrochloric acid test forfurfurol-ylelding bodies, while under themiscroscopejt shows typicalfernlike structures, While pest shows amorphous particles and. hardlyany organized. straw tures.

Peat moss or sphsgnu n moss contains practically no ligno-cellulose orlignim bus is practically pure cellulose 01 hydro-cellulose mixed withhumus scitls and pentossns While saw-ciust on the other hand iscomposed. largely of lignin anti ligno-celluless and; small amounts ofcellulose and penicsans V The action of the hydrolyzed sphsgmim mossdifi'ers from hydrolyzed savwdust when subjected to a chemical treatmentto partia ly converse them into sugar action with respect to:nrQolssses= A. palatable castle foccl can Fe ID (is 1mm hydrolyzedsew-(lust only when DIES; wish cane sugar molasses, mid he with beetsugar mclasses, there is not suiiicient humus acid is act on the potashsalts of beet molasses and the assie is so unpleasant that castle willnot eat if.

1. Process for Fijhe manufacture of foocl for cattle and; other animalsconsisting in subjecting sphsgnum to heat be she action of siilfii'rdiczicl and 2. Process for the nm'nufscilure cf for cattle and otheranimals consisting in subjecting Sphagnum 55o heal; and "to the actionof sulfur diorziei high pressure steam.

3. Process "501' the for cattle and other 36- subjecting splmgiumipliccl and so she direct; scion of sulfus oxicl gas and sieam at nighpressure.

l. ifrocess for manufacture of food for cattle slid owe: animalsconsisting i sub'j ciing suproximsteiy 100 pars weight of Sphagnum f0heal;

